Home of Dreams

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If only the walls could talk; what would they tell us?

Traveling to Adelaide from Mannum this cottage could be seen not all that far from the main highway.

Some people are spooked walking into old buildings but I am one of those that soaks up the past of the everyday life of these aged buildings. I love to hear stories from the older generation about the history of what happened. Usually there are deaths and births along with heartache and happiness as well as sheer hard work.

Maybe all those things happened within the walls of this little cottage? If I were to paint something like this building those thoughts would always be upon my mind as a way to put spirit into the scene that you yourself would also be asking those same questions.


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Mannum & the Murray River

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My post yesterday was about Whispering Wall and todays entry carries on from there because my brother drove us onto Mannum to pass some time that same day with more photos to share with you. The wind was bitterly cold with the sun intermittently shining through breaks in the cloud cover. I have stayed with family and friends at the caravan park in the past that can be seen here amongst the River Red Gums. It is a lovely spot with a lot of history to Mannum and the surrounding area.


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Who are you looking at! There is plenty of bird life at Mannum with this Pelican not bothering to fly away. I was so near that I did wonder how close it would allow me to get. I didn't test this thought out though because I don't know if some Pelicans could be aggressive towards humans and their snapping cameras. It is known for a Pelican to pinch your food off your plate while eating your lunch on the river bank in Mannum. Oh and they don't mind helping themselves to hot steak straight off the barbecue so if you don't have anybody to invite to lunch, just ask a Pelican.



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While photographing the Pelican numerous ducks decided to get in on the act as well and this is one of them. I reckon they thought I had food for them but oh dear, they were out of luck!





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Whispering Wall - South Australia

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My brother and his wife often talked about Whispering Wall so while waiting for our Patrol to have a snorkel fitted on our recent trip to Adelaide we were given a tour of this fascinating dam not all that far away from Gawler in South Australia.





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What is so fascinating about this dam? Well it is the actual acoustic of sound that bounces off the curved wall. It is rather spooky when I experienced this when my brother and his wife went to one end of the wall and my husband and I the other end. Let me tell you, never talk badly of the other person because they will hear you as if on a loud speaker. Malcolm and I could hear the other party walking to the whispering platform like footsteps in a horror movie. At one point when we started talking to each other in booming voices I did wonder if it was a joke looking around for a speaker to amplify all these sounds we could hear. None to be found and no wonder it is called Whispering Wall because that is all that is needed to hear the other person at the other end; 144 metres away.


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The reflections were quite magical at Whispering Wall and decided to use this snapshot for wallpaper on my computer.





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Gawler Ranges Trip, South Australia "part eleven"

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I don't know what this area is called with the sand dunes but it was a pleasant surprise when my eyes set upon them.






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The light once in awhile did streak across the dunes in patches although fleetingly.






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This image will give you a bit more perspective of the area. As you can see my brothers patrol is laden with all our camping gear, food and water for our two nights on the road. When traveling 'out bush' it is an idiot that would not take extra food and water in case there are circumstances where we are unable to return to civilization in a time frame that we ourselves had planned. Survival in the bush means taking extra supplies or you may perish and this also means making sure family and friends know when to expect you home and if that time frame passes they then can alert the authorities, so that a search can be put into action.

There will be more snapshots of this trip later in the week. Tomorrow I will post something different from photos that were taken last Monday. Until then, happy snapping!

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Gawler Ranges Trip, South Australia "part ten"

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There were numerous salt lakes on this camping trip. Some were small and others large. Several without water and fewer with water.





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This photo and the one below are the same lake. It was a lovely surprise to come across this water with us looking for a way to drive in off the main gravel road so that we could investigate the area closer at the same time take many photos. Spotting a track our little party was soon travelling deeper into the bush until we came to a clearing where evidence of a fire had been made in the past by campers that must have enjoyed this little oasis. The light with the first image wasn't going to be the best but all in all it didn't turn out bad either.


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Just like being at the beach isn't it? It would have been a lovely spot to camp but we had to travel a few more kilometres yet before we set up our tents for our last night of this trip.


I won't be posting for the next few days. Malcolm (hubby) and I are heading to the city tomorrow to catch up with family & friends plus I do have a meeting to attend in the Big Smoke. Oh and shopping as well!

Until my return, please don't forget me.

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Gawler Ranges Trip, South Australia "part nine"

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Yesterday when our little touring party left the Southern Flinders Ranges we did wonder if we were doing the right thing with wet weather constantly cropping up in our path, especially around the Iron Knob area. Thankfully we pushed ahead down the road with weather improving as we headed further into the Gawler Ranges.



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The Bluebush (Pearl Bluebush Maireana sedifolia) has always been my favourite native shrub in the Australian bush. In a good season the Bluebush will grow to a hight of one metre.






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When viewing buildings such as these out in the bush I can't help but wonder about the people that lived in these places and the yarns that they could tell. Maybe now it is only the spirits that can tell these stories of what must have been a very hard and difficult life.

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Gawler Ranges Trip, South Australia "part eight"

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You do need to click on these thumbnails to see some of the lovely colours in the shadows of the morning light.

This first photo was taken as the cold air was hitting me after crawling out of my snug as a bug sleeping bag with a heavy dew covered over our tents. The sun wasn't even out of bed itself but it had the promise of wonderful light to come. In the background I could hear the wakening of birds twittering and snapping of timber for the fire as it was stoked up for our early breakfast.


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With the first rays of the morning light streaking across the landscape it was full on excitement trying to catch that magical moment in time.





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By this time the cold air against my skin was long forgotten while watching the warming light on such a beautiful morning making me wish we could stay a few more days in this area. An artist paradise!




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Gawler Ranges Trip, South Australia "part seven"

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In the creek near the Siam Station homestead there are hops flowering. These are not native to Australia and only flower after good rains, which the area did have. As much as these hops are not native to my country they can put on a magical show in the Flinders Ranges although this does not happen very often due to lack of rain.






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Of the two nights on this trip that my brother and his wife and Malcolm and I bush camped, this was our first night. Everybody instinctively found a job to do and it wasn't long before we had our tents up, chairs out and a fire going to cook our evening meal. You can see Malcolm surveying all our handy work or was that the cask of red wine he was looking for!


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Our bellies were fed and watered by the time the sun was setting on our first night and it was hands on deck to grab a few snapshots as the sun was disappearing down beyond the horizon.

If you didn't get an update of SnapShots in your RSS Reader yesterday there was a post. I did some extra pinging but to no avail as my copy did not turn up in my own RSS Reader. This is why it is worth subscribing to your own feed if you have a blog so that you are made aware that there maybe a problem. If you did miss out here is a quick link to that post.


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Gawler Ranges Trip, South Australia "part six"

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This image of the Siam Station homestead has been taken from a rise in the landscape that was always referred to as the 'Little Hill'. After having children of my own I asked my mum did she ever worry about my siblings and myself traipsing for miles away from the homestead. In a matter of fact voice her reply was "No, you always came home!". It was in the later years that I also found out that mum used to watch us kids up in the hills through the scope of a gun.

Just a little about the homestead:

• When my dad took on the job of overseer, we lived in the house on the far right.
• Second building from right is the mens quarters.
• Third building from right used to be the 'Siam Rural School'. The school was housed in the mens quarters until this building was ready but prior to all of this my mum taught correspondence lessons to me.
• Moving across to the left is a very large iron shed. This shed wasn't part of the station at the time I lived on Siam Station.
• Top of that very large shed is the main homestead. I never lived in this house although some of my family did when my dad became manager of Siam Station.
• There are other various small buildings as part of the main house that have had different uses over the years.
• Shed near main homestead is the workshop for Siam Station where many jobs are done on the stations equipment. It also used to house the main engine for the power supply although not sure if it is still the case.
• The stone shed was always nicknamed 'The Top Shed', not sure if that stuck after we left. There are various rooms to this building that include stables, blacksmith, feed room and so forth. These yards were also used for the time that work needed to be done with cattle.

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Walking around on the top of the 'Little Hill' memories came flooding back when I saw this bulb flower. As a child it wasn't unusual for me to pick flowers to take home but this time a snapshot is a much more lasting memory leaving the flower in its own environment.


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This is the crutching shed and if you take a look at the first image you will see this building and yards at the top of the trees. When it was time for crutching the sheep I couldn't wait for school to be finished for the day so that I could rush down to the yards and be part of what was happening. Oh memories...... life was so simple back then!




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Gawler Ranges Trip, South Australia "part five"

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Still traveling on Siam Station, it was time for a morning cuppa and when out bush the best way to do this is start a fire and put the stainless steel kettle on, which my brother had packed for this trip. As you can see from the blackened kettle it has been used on a number of occasions in the past. We didn't have billy tea this trip as we all were wanting coffee. If you ever get the chance to try billy tea, do so because it is a very nice way to drink tea. I do cringe though after the tea leaves have been dropped in the boiling water and then the billy swung around at the end of an arm like a windmill gone crazy so that the solid matter drops to the bottom of the container. Never seen anyone burnt 'yet' so who needs a tea strainer when out bush!!!


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before moving on from our morning break a few photos were taken. Even a piece of weather worn grey timber makes an interesting snapshot against the red earth along with some native vegetation for complimentary colour.



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I bet this tree has provided shade for many a kangaroo over the years. The landscape isn't all like this because the scrubby areas can be quite dense with Mulga trees and Salt Bush.

If you haven't done so my now I encourage you to click on each image so that you truly get the atmosphere of the area, which the thumbnails do not really portray.

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Gawler Ranges Trip, South Australia "part four"

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Yesterdays post was about the inside of this shearing shed and now it is time to show you what the building and surrounding area is like.




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If you are wondering what the tall pole is used for at the right of the shearing shed, its purpose is to hoist bales of wool onto the back of trucks.




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Accommodation and a cook is provided for the shearing and Rouseabout team. The 'smoko' is delivered to the shearing shed by the cooks 'helper' morning and afternoon. The team would return to the building on the right of this image for three meals per day. The building to the far left is the sleeping quarters for the workers. behind the kitchen and dining room (building on the right) there is an amenities block. The small shed to the front is the engine room for the power supply for all the buildings.

Some of you may have heard of Henry Lawson. He wrote "The Boss's Boots"; which has a number of humorous verses about working in a shearing shed.

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